This invention relates to a paint receiving member for removing paint from paint-laden air and to a system and a method for removing paint from the paint-laden air which is extracted from a paint spray booth during a spraying operation.
The removal of unused paint from the air of a paint spray booth customarily involves the use of aqueous solutions to scrub particulate paint from the extracted air, wash any surfaces tending to acquire deposited paint, and convey the waste paint as a dispersion to a central accumulation and disposal reservoir.
There are a number of inherent disadvantages in the use of such scrubbing means for waste paint removal. Thus, such scrubbing means involve the use of large volumes of water which is recirculated, and the power required to run the circulating pumps is significant. Furthermore, the accumulation reservoir contains large volumes of waste paint, water and air and thereby adds to the space requirements of the installation. The reservoir must also be equipped with mechanical means for dredging and scumming the waste paint. In addition, the water used for the scrubbing process humidifies the extracted air so that there is a consequent wastage of water.
Paint extract systems for spray booths employing travelling band filters have been proposed but such filters have not been adopted for large booths. In this respect, if the material of the filter has a structure which is sufficiently intricate to ensure efficient removal of the paint from the air the cost of the filter material makes the cost of filter replacement prohibitive. The intricate nature of the filter material structure and the fact that paint is highly adhesive make it virtually impossible to clean and reuse the filter material.
Furthermore, for applications where the articles to be painted are not suspended above the booth floor the use of a filter introduces an appreciable maintenance burden as the parts of the booth floor which are required to be load bearing cannot be protected by the filter and therefore have to be periodically cleaned.